Unexpected
by mysticminou
Summary: They say you fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time. Marichat - Time Travel
1. Late Night Arrival

**Summary:**

 _They say you fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time._

 _Marinette never expected to fall in love with Adrien. And she certainly never expected to fall for Chat. And she definitely never expected to fall for an unexpected visitor from their future._

 _Chat never expected to fall in love with Ladybug. And he certainly never expected to fall for Marinette. And he definitely never expected to be jealous of his time traveling older self._

 **Tags:**

 _Ladynoir, Marichat, Ladrien, Adrienette, Time Travel, Romance, Jealousy, No Warnings Appl_ y

 **Notes:**

 _First chapter of my time travel Marichat fic. Just posting this chapter before I leave to kinda build up some interest in it. Also hoping for some ideas from my lovely readers. I have a notebook in my carry on and I hope to work some on this and Reach while I'm away._

 **Chapter 1: Late Night Arrival**

* * *

The crackling black energy almost blended in with the shadows of the alley. The wind caused by it picked up a few stray advert papers and food wrappers. A cat howled from its hiding place behind a garbage can before dashing away with an angry hiss. A leather boot appeared from the swirling vortex before it was followed by its twin. Next, a man's torso and arms appeared before his masked face formed from the black whirlwind. He grinned wickedly as the energy ball stuttered out. The man raked his claws through his shaggy blonde locks as his toxic eyes surveyed the alleyway and the street ahead.

He dropped his hand from his hair with a smirk as he reached for the baton secured at his lower back. He extended the weapon and launched himself to the roof above. His boots crunched on the gravel as he paced. It was good to know he had arrived where he had left in his time. Granted, the building he stop atop now was no longer a clothing boutique, but an electronic store. And the café across the way was an antique store in his time.

But strangely, the one constant in both timelines was the bakery three blocks away. Grinning, he broke off into a sprint to launch across to the next building. The man's strides were long and quick and he made the distance in a few minutes. Standing on the balcony of the familiar bakery, he pursed his lips. He wasn't quite sure how to proceed with the next phase of his plan. Crouching down, he peered at the trap door separating him from his target. He could simply knock and wait for the girl to come out, but once she saw his face and body, she would know he wasn't her Chaton.

Chat Noir reached down, his hand flattened against the trap door and his fingers splayed out. His ring beeped again and another pad blinked away. Three minutes. The leather hero sighed as his claws scratched at the wood, leaving faint trails in their wake. He needed to recharge. While he knew Marinette was Ladybug, this Marinette did not know who he was. And it was far too early for her to know that. Standing, he turned and glided to the railing. With a frown, he glanced back at her door before leaping back into the night.

 **XXX**

The shrill siren call of the alarm shot the boy from his slumber. Adrien groaned as he patted the bedding beside him for his cell. He found the device and thumbed it until it silenced for the next fifteen minutes or Nathalie knocked at his door. Whichever came first. The young man burrowed a little deeper into his covers with a sigh. The small black cat resting on the pillow beside him grumbled as he too squirmed at his disturbed sleep.

Not even thirty seconds later, the latter proved to be the winner.

A knock on the door followed by Nathalie's voice let him know it would be an early day. Grumbling, the teen sat up, his covers pooling around his hips. There was another knock and Adrien yawned, his arms stretching over his head and his spine cracking from the movement. "Ok," his sleep encrusted voice drawled. She wished him a good morning before threatening him to hurry up or risk being late. As her heels clicked away, Adrien ripped his bedding away and got out of bed while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Plagg," he muttered.

The grumpy cat hissed at him before unfurling with his own yawn which came out as more of a yowl. The kwami floated away from his perch to Adrien's minifridge. As Plagg began his morning routine of eating an entire wheel of camembert, Adrien drifted to his bathroom where he showered. Despite the warmth of the water, Adrien still found himself sleepy and unable to perk up. Even after he had dressed and went back to his room, his feet were still dragging. With what little clarity he had left, Adrien was surprised to find Plagg sleeping again after only two wedges of cheese.

Padding towards his couch were Plagg had decided to rest, Adrien picked up the small cat. "You ok, buddy?"

Plagg blinked up at him slowly. "Something's not right, kid." He closed his eyes and curled tighter into a ball. "We need to find Ladybug."

"Can you even transform?" Adrien asked. His mind was foggy and, surprisingly, he didn't feel like being Chat.

The magic animal shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. Plagg sighed heavily and the extensive look in his emerald eyes reminded Adrien that he was thousands, if not billions, of years old. "I need Tikki." He grimaced. "That's Ladybug's kwami," he explained at seeing Adrien's confusion. "Don't hate me, kid. But I sense her all the time at your school."

Plagg yelped when Adrien's hands dropped to his sides. The creature bounced on the white cushions with a hiss while his chosen dropped to his knees, his eyes wide and unseeing. "Ladybug…my school…"

"And we've lost him," Plagg muttered irritably. "This is exactly why I never mentioned it. Snap out it!" He attempted to fly, but he could only hover an inch or two before flopping back pitifully. "Kid!"

Adrien shook his head. "She goes to my school?" He was so irate that the little devil had never mentioned this before now. He honestly wanted to ban him from all cheeses for two weeks. On the other hand, his Lady went to his school. He had suspected as much during the Pharaoh akuma. He raked his brain for any ideas. He thought of every girl in his school, but none could compare to his Lady. Marinette certainly looked the part, but she was too endearingly clumsy and shy. Chloe was certainly bold enough, but she had been disproven by Alya and Ladybug. Then, there were all the other girls he didn't even know but had only passed in the hallway.

He had always sworn he would know her without her mask. Apparently, he had been wrong.

"Kid!"

Adrien blinked to clear his thoughts. Scowling, he snatched the kwami in his fist. "You little sneak," he growled. "Who is she?"

"I don't know!" The cat squeaked. "Just get me to the school! I need to be near Tikki! And you need to be near Ladybug!"

Standing, he shoved Plagg into his shirt pocket and reached for his school bag. "I at least need a hint," Adrien muttered as he strode to the door. He swung it open and sprinted through the halls to the dining room. He grabbed his morning protein shake and yelled for Nathalie to fetch Gorilla. A faint blush appeared on his cheeks at his rude outburst, but he couldn't find it in himself to care too much now.

His Lady was within reach.


	2. Day 1

Hello! I had wanted this chapter to be longer because I had wanted to include Adult!Chat meeting Mari in this chapter, but I also wanted to remind everyone this exists. So, I promise Adult!Chat will return next chapter.

* * *

 **Day 1**

Adrien rested his head against the cool glass of the car window until they arrived. He had thought once they got further from the mansion, they both would have perked up somewhat. He was mistaken. If anything, Plagg became more of a limp mass in his shirt pocket. His own head throbbed painfully from a migraine. He contemplated taking some acetaminophen, but figured since his own weakness was tied to Plagg's that normal medicine wouldn't help magical headaches. Besides, Plagg had said he needed to be near Ladybug and Tikki. Which, that alone caused Adrien's headache to worsen. Plagg had known Ladybug was close by all this time? And he hadn't mentioned it before now? She went to his school? He wasn't sure if he should be more upset with Plagg or himself. Himself for not realizing the love of his life was right there in the hallway or Plagg for not pointing it out.

Gorilla pulled up to the curve and Adrien sluggishly exited the vehicle. Adrien winced when the sound of the door slamming shut jostled his head. Luckily, Gorilla didn't notice it and simply drove away. Tapping his pocket, Adrien mumbled, "Where is she?"

Plagg squirmed deeper into his pocket and grumbled. "Your homeroom…"

Adrien's face comically scrunched up in fury. "You little-!" He nearly reached inside and flung the magical creature across the courtyard, but he saw Nino and Alya approaching and quickly threw them The Model Smile. Alya waved at him. The wretched cat would live to see another day.

"Yo, Agreste!" Alya called.

Adrien nodded his greeting to the girl and then greeted Nino once the two were by his side. Alya immediately pulled out her mobile. "Do you see the video someone submitted to the Ladyblog?" Nino waggled his brows at Adrien when the blonde shook his head. Alya grinned mischievously. "I can't wait to show Mari this!" She squealed as she thumbed the video up.

Nino nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty cool. I wonder-"

Alya slapped his shoulder as she presented the phone to Adrien. "No spoilers! Watch!"

Blinking, Adrien took the phone and tapped play. His mouth feel open. The footage was obviously amateurly shot on someone's smartphone given the blurriness and shakiness of it. It was also taken at night which further made the blurry figure harder to see as he sprinted across the rooftops. Yet, with the full moon back lighting him, Adrien could clearly make out the outline. It was him. At least, it looked like him because Adrien had not been patrolling last night nor was he anywhere near Marinette's bakery. The imposter was possibly taller than him yet sported his Chat ears and tail. He traveled with his Chat baton. His hair might have been longer, but it was obviously someone dressed as Chat Noir. The video cut out as the copycat dropped down into an alleyway.

Alya slapped Nino playfully. "Now you can discuss."

Nino chuckled at his girlfriend while wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I just wonder if that means Ladybug is the one with a cat fetish. Two boys dressed like that? I've seen enough-"

"Ok! Thanks, Nino!" Adrien shoved the phone back into Alya's hands as the two laughed at him. "It could just be an akuma," Adrien reasoned. "Remember that artist guy? He's older than Chat Noir, so it would make sense…"

Alya shrugged. "Could be. I wonder if Marinette saw him. The video was taken in her neighborhood."

That's what frightened him. Why was an imposter near her? It could have been a coincidence, but Marinette always seemed to be in the middle of akuma attacks. And if it was Theo again, did that mean akuma victims could be re-akumatized after Ladybug had purified them? Whatever the case may be, he needed to speak with Ladybug.

"Marinette!" Alya waved to someone behind him and Adrien peaked over his shoulder. Marinette waved casually at the group; her cheeks were painted a delicate red hue. "Did you get my text?" Alya screeched painfully while waving her phone once the girl was beside the small cluster. Adrien wondered how she managed to not drop the device or break off the Ladybug charm. At her shy nod, Alya grinned. "I can't wait to get a better view. I bet older Chat Noir is a total babe. Akuma or not." She smirked slyly at Nino. "No offense, babe."

Nino shrugged casually Adrien stuttered and very much wished the ground would open and swallow him. Marinette also stuttered beside him for a moment before gasping out "Alya!" with a disapproving tone.

The darker girl shrugged. "Girl, don't hide it. I know you got the hots for Chat Noir."

Marinette started another round of stammering and Adrien found himself staring at her. "You have a crush on Chat Noir?" He blurted. He felt his face heat once more and his heart beat irregularly once or twice.

The girl refused to meet his gaze or their friends'. She found a sudden interest in her pink ballet flats. "He's cool," she finally mumbled.

Adrien had pressed her for her opinion of Chat after The Evillustrator case. Through all her stuttering, that was all he had could make out then. He had wanted to know more. Did she find him funny? Was she afraid of Cataclysm? Did she enjoy their mini-adventures together? Did she return Nathanael's feelings? Was that why she had agreed to the date? Or had she been terrified that if she had said no he would seriously hurt her? Not that he would have let that happen. He would have been by her side in a heartbeat if Nathaniel had even thought of hurting her. Technically, he had when he contained Nathanael with his staff. Did she see him as the Knight in Shining Armor to her Princess? Or did she-

Adrien's face went hotter. That thought process had disintegrated very quickly.

Alya elbowed Marinette's side with a snort. "Girl, please, I know you sleep with that Chat Noir doll every single night. You doodle little cat paws in your notebooks."

Marinette clutched her ever-present design book to her chest. Her wide eyes begging Alya to stop teasing. "It's not like that," she stuttered out. "I doodle other things, too. Ladybugs, hearts, stars, you know…"

Adrien blinked. She slept with the doll she had made? Why?

Marinette blinked up at him and he suddenly realized he had unconsciously voiced his questions. She toed the ground nervously for a moment. "Well, um, after Manon had, um, was akumatized, um, Ladybug gave me the dolls back. She, um, told me about Chat being a puppet…and I…" She breathed deeply and wretched her eyes towards their school. "I felt bad since it was my fault, so, um, I keep his doll close. In case, you know, it happens again, you know?"

Alya snorted. "I don't see you sleeping with Lady Wifi or Evillustrator." A wicked smirk cut across her tanned face. "I'll totally look the other way about my doll, but Nath's? Why'd you make him a doll?" Her gaze cut to Adrien. "Maybe if Adrien gets akumatized, you can make him a doll, too. And you've yet to make Nino's doll."

Nino shook his head and Adrien found himself unable to think passed the thought that Marinette slept with a plush of him. "Dude, I'll pass on the doll." Nino drawled before nodding towards the school. "Let's get to class."

Spinning away from Marinette, Alya latched onto Nino's arm. "Yes, good idea, _hot stuff._ " Nino rolled his eyes and Adrien was afraid Marinette would pass out from the amount of blood rushing to her face. The couple sauntered off to class with a chuckle.

Adrien cocked a brow at Marinette. "So, Chat Noir, huh?"

He laughed heartily when the girl screeched like a pterodactyl.

XXX

It was during first period he finally realized his headache was gone and Plagg had not complained once. His gaze shot to everyone in the room as he mentally listed who could possibly be Ladybug. Obviously not Alya or Rose or Chloe. Definitely none of the guys. He couldn't gaze behind him without being called out by the teacher. He quirked his lips as he tried to think of who sat in the back besides Rose and Juleka. Mylene? No, definitely not her.

Plagg had to be lying because the only girl that hadn't been akumatized was Marinette. And there was no way Marinette-

He choked on his own spit and Nino banged on his back as Adrien stuttered. Miss Bustier immediately was at his other side. Adrien covered his mouth and waved his hand. "I'm fine," he choked out between coughs. "Can I be excused?" He whispered hoarsely.

Miss Bustier nodded and stepped away. "Do you need help getting to the nurse's station?"

Adrien coughed once more as he stood. "No, thank you, Madame." He sprinted to the door and dashed out; his face burning from more than just the cough attack. First, he stopped by the water fountain to quench the burn in his throat. After gulping down mouthfuls of the crisp drink, he glanced around to make sure no one was coming before he entered the boy's room. He checked the stalls before locking the door and shaking his shirt pocket to force the demon cat awake. "Plagg!" He hissed.

The kwami floated out lazily. "Hmmm?"

"Marinette!" He wheezed. "Marinette is Ladybug! She's been _right there_ the whole time and you never said a word!"

Plagg shrugged. "Look, kid, I can't confirm nor deny your guess, but I can say I've not being feeling like crap since your little meet up this morning."

Adrien roughly dug a hand through his hair. "She sleeps with a plush of me. Of Chat Noir." He chewed his bottom lip and looked away from the eyes of his kwami.

"And you sleep in Ladybug pajamas while stroking your Ladybug doll."

"Action figure, Plagg. Action figure."

"Whatever," the cat shrugged again. "The point is, until we figure out what is going on, you need to stick close to her."

He looked back to the kwami, his hand falling from his hair that now thoroughly looked more like Chat Noir than Adrien Agreste. "Do you think…" His face was going to be burnt red forever if he didn't control his blood flow. "Do you think she _likes_ me?"

"If I made a doll of you, it would be a voodoo doll. So yeah, count your blessings she's not pocking a needle through your doll's heart."


	3. Afternoon 1

Notes:

Trigger warning for this chapter: Mentions of abortion

Y'all wanted Adult!Chadrien, right? Here ya go.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Afternoon 1**

Adrien popped his leather jacket's collar once more. The supple material did a well enough job of hiding his face along with his shaggy hair flapping against his forehead and cheeks, but he could never be careful enough. He knew the dangers of being found by anyone outside the Miraculous Team. And if his father caught wind of someone of his description being seen, he had no doubt bodyguards would be on his tail. And though it had been several years, he wasn't sure if he could face his father yet. Actually, no. He knew he could not. The thought of confronting him brought a deep frown to the man's flawless face. Once Hawk Moth had been captured in his time, Adrien could not even bring himself to visit the man's prison. Not after he had attacked Ladybug. Not after everything he had done. And it had all been so pointless. His mother could not have been saved.

"I know what you're thinking, Kid, and you need to cool it." A nasal voice drawled from his pocket. The man's frown deepened as he turned a corner. He tapped the ear piece had had taken up wearing. It was easier to talk to Plagg in public if people assumed he was speaking into his Bluetooth. It cut down on the amount of time he spent trying to duck into alleyways and bathrooms.

"I'm twenty-five, Plagg. When will you stop calling me that?" He didn't mind the nickname, truly, but he didn't want to delve into the topic of his father with Plagg. He knew the topic would come up evidentially, but he needed to keep it as quiet as he could. This Marinette and Adrien could not learn Hawk Moth's identity. Not yet. And he had promised Nino he would not destroy the timeline.

"When you stop acting like one," was Plagg's retort. "You know Marinette's going to kill you when we get back."

Adrien winced. That was in fact true. He had not been totally honest with Marinette when he left.

 _'I'm heading out, bug. You need anything?'_

She had smiled at him like he was her whole damn world. And he figured he was because she was his whole world. Adrien could still not believe that she loved him back. That she was more than willing to be with him. That she agreed to marry him and start a family.

That she was willing to risk her life for him.

He growled and clenched his fists. He had been so stupid. He had known it would happen and he had gotten careless, sloppy. He had once more failed to protect her. All because he forgot a condom one time. One time he had allowed himself to be seduced by the miraculous beauty and had gotten lost in the moment. He knew he wasn't totally to blame. She had obviously forgotten her pill a morning or two. Fashion Week did that to people. Marinette had been running herself ragged for a month and he had barely gotten to see or touch her. And at the end of it, when she had finally collapsed in his arms, he could not stop himself from kissing her, from trailing his fingertips across her soft skin, from whispering his undying love for her, from worshiping her body.

His heart clenched as he thought over that night once more. God, he loved her so much. And he wanted a family with her, but not at the cost of her life. In the end, Hawk Moth had made sure he had gotten the final blow.

 _'I love you, kitty. Come back soon, okay?'_

Adrien stopped much to the dismay of a few businessmen behind him. With a shuddering breath, he leaned against the wall with his shoulder. "I can't lose her, Plagg," the man admitted. He dragged a hand down his face, the stubble of his light beard scratching against his palm. "I should have been more careful. I knew it would happen and I tried so hard to keep her safe. But I…" He closed his eyes against the onslaught of pain.

"And that's why we're here, Kid. Fu can help us. This is why Nino and I helped you to learn Black Hole. We care about her, too, you idiot." He felt Plagg's nub poke his chest and cracked a small grin. "And once we figure this mess out, you're not getting near her without a chastity belt, you tomcat."

Adrien's response was a hard slap to his chest that made a few pedestrians ogle him strangely and Plagg to hiss.

XXX

The old Chinese shop was just as he remembered it. It had long ago been torn down in his time to make room for developmental buildings. He thought they may have been law or doctor offices, but he wasn't sure and tried his best to avoid the area since it brought back too many painful memories. He rolled his shoulders to release some tension before he pushed the door aside. Adrien strolled the familiar walls casually with his focus centered on the makeshift examine room Fu practiced inside that was just off to the side of the main living room area. Adrien could remember secret meetings being held there before the team went after his father. Before everything went to Hell.

The exam room door was shut and he could hear faint mutterings inside due to his enhanced hearing. He rapped on the door with his knuckles. "Please wait in the front room!" Fu called from within.

Adrien cracked his knuckles against the door once more. "I hate to _bug_ you, but I'm afraid this is a _purrsonal_ call," he replied. He knew his voice was much deeper than the Adrien Fu knew, but the puns would be telling enough until Fu saw his face.

The was a beat of silence before Fu whipped the door open. Adrien shot the older man a two-finger salute and his eyes widened. Fu turned back to his client and said, "I'm sorry, but we'll have to cut your appointment short. You can see yourself out, yes?"

The business man stood from the massage table and straightened his suit jacket. Adrien could tell it was a Gabriel brand. All of Fu's clients were wealthy businessmen with ties to his father or his father's circle. Adrien stepped back into the faint shadows of the hall and hung his head down, his shaggy blonde locks falling into his face like a shield. He saw the man frown at him but he left the room and passed the two others before heading for the front door. Fu waited for the faint click of the main door before he addressed Adrien. "You were foolish to come here," he sighed and stroked his beard. "You weren't careful either. You're all over the Ladyblog." Fu walked closer to the main room. "But, I figure since Plagg taught you Black Hole, there is a reason you're here."

Adrien followed Fu and perched on the floor before the wooden table. The same wooden table that had held the plans to defeat his father. "She's dying." He looked up at Fu with wide, begging eyes. "I can't lose her," he repeated his mantra.

Plagg appeared from his pocket and sprawled on the table as Fu sat across from Adrien. Wayzz buzzed out from his hiding place in the ancient gramophone to roost beside Plagg. "Start at the beginning, my child."

Adrien licked his parched lips. "It was during the final battle with…Hawk Moth," Adrien frowned. "He was able to crack the code on the Tibetan book. He was going to attack me and she…she…" His voice cracked and Plagg hovered to Adrien's shoulder. He patted the man's scruffy cheek with an uncharacteristic sympathetic look.

"She took a bad hit," Plagg supplied. "Messed her up real good."

A frown cut across Fu's face. "If it's Ladybug's time, there is nothing-"

Adrien slammed his fists against the table with a loud bang. The table wobbled on its stubby legs as Adrien screamed. "It's not her time! That attack was meant for _me_! She was never meant to be the shield! Gabriel wanted me dead!" He snapped his mouth shut with a click. "I shouldn't have said that," he muttered darkly.

Fu shrugged. "I've known. It's not time for them to know yet."

His nostrils flared on a snarl. "You mean, you knew! The whole time! You son of-"

"Since Marinette brought me the book. When she said it belonged to you, I knew there was a possibility. But, that's beside the point," he folding his arms together. "You've come for something I cannot provide. I'm sorry you've wasted your time, Adrien, but you need to return before the Chat Noir in this time is affected."

"She's pregnant. Does that change your mind, old coot?" Plagg hissed from Adrien's shoulder. "She pulled out alright. That battle was a long time ago, but the damage is still there. And this tomcat," he pointed a nub at Adrien, "knocked her up. She'd be fine if she _got rid of_ the kitten to save herself, but they're both so stubborn."

"We're not aborting Emma," Adrien growled. "And I'm not giving up Marinette."

"And Marinette will do whatever it takes to have the kitten," Plagg finished.

Once more, Fu stroked his beard as he allowed the news to settle over him. Wayzz blinked up at his Master. "Master, a _child_ …"

"This certainly changes things," Fu agreed with Plagg. "I'm assuming she's about four or five months?"

"Four and a half," Adrien answered. "She's been on bed rest for about a month due to complications. Her blood pressure for one and she came close to miscarrying during month two." He rubbed at his tired eyes. "Marinette has been surprisingly willing to stay at home. She wants this baby so bad," he chuckled darkly. "Mari told me once that she had dreamed about having kids with me when we were fourteen. She even had the names picked out."

"And you?" Fu questioned. "Your mother left and Gabriel was never a paternal figure. And now the woman you love is having your baby. You said abortion was not an option, why is that? Are you so desperate for a family that you're willing to risk her?"

"I love her," he declared. "I've been in love with her since I was fourteen years old. I promised her I would give her everything she wanted. God, I want nothing more than start a family with her." He rubbed a hand through his unruly hair. Mari had admitted that she liked his hair unkempt and he had let it grow out in messy layers to just passed his shoulders. He normally wore it in a manbun, but today he had worn it down to help disguise his face. His face heated. "Maybe I am selfish," he admitted. "But I want Mari and Emma. I'm not choosing between them. I think I have earned the right to be selfish about my family for once."

The older man sighed. "I see." He stood and his aging joints cracked. "You have until Sunday night?" He continued when Adrien stood with a nod. "I have the spell book saved digitally and I'm sure my successor has the actual book but is unable to read the codes." He nodded towards Wayzz who took off. "We'll see what we can do, Chat Noir. In the meantime, you must say close to Ladybug and try to stay away from this Chat Noir. Having two gods of destruction and their wielders in one time line is not good for the space-time fabric. It's already damaged by your use of Black Hole. No need to strain it further."

Adrien followed Fu to the door. "I'll see what I can do," he grinned. "I'm sure this Chat will be excited to share Mari." He rolled his eyes. "He'll probably hiss at me and say something cheesy about protecting his Princess' honor."

Plagg snorted before ducking into his pocket. "Yeah, because that's exactly what _you_ did."

Fu sighed.

XXX

Chat Noir waited in Marinette's room. As an adult, he could clearly see how creepy it was that a man nearly ten years her senior was waiting in her bedroom, but considering in the future he'd slept with her and they traded razors regularly, he would be forgiven in the long haul. So, he sprawled on her bed and waited as he flipped through her diary. It was cute that she thought her whimsical box could keep him out. It was even cuter that his wife had dotted her i's with hearts when she was younger.

Chat flipped another page and his ears twitched towards the other trapdoor. He flung the diary to the side carelessly and sat up fully on the bed. He watched as Marinette pulled herself up the trapdoor and slithered into her room. She sighed as she tossed her school bag away and turned towards the general area of her bed.

The tiny girl froze like a canary when she spotted the leather clad man. He smirked at her and offered a fluttering wave of his fingers. "Hello, princess." His smirk grew as she shivered. Oh, he knew _exactly_ what his deeper voice did to her. Mari had told him in vivid detail.

Just as the words left his mouth, the trapdoor above him opened and another leather clad cat gazed inside. "Hey, Princess, can I…" He trailed off on a hiss at seeing the older man in Marinette's bed.

Chat tilted his head back and winked up at his younger self. "One cat just leads to another."


	4. Night 1

This is super long and not very shippy (ok, so yes there are shippy moments) but mostly, this chapter works out the truce between our beloved Chadriens.

Edited: 11.4.2017

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Night 1**

His headache had been absent since he'd been around Marinette- _Ladybug!_ —and Plagg had said his own unease had settled. However, once Adrien found himself face to face with his imposter, the unease, headache, and nausea came back full force. His head and heart pounded painfully and his vision was spotty. He snarled down at the man, his gaze never leaving the man's cocky smirk. He wore a leather suit like his own. The armor was perhaps thicker in certain areas and the claws of his gloves were sharp enough to slice Marinette's gentle skin like butter. A baton was secured at his waist, but he did not draw it. Leather cat ears were perched atop his unruly hair that was pulled back into a bun except for his bangs. Fangs glinted from his smirk in the sunlight that streamed in behind Chat. A light beard covered his chin and cheeks to give him a Star Lord look as his black mask protected his identity.

"Marinette, stay back!" He demanded of the girl.

The imposter rolled his cat eyes. "Like I would hurt her, kid." The nickname brought forth another snarl and the man chuckled.

Chat pounced down and the man seemed to expect it. He gracefully rolled off Marinette's bed and stood, his arms crossed over his muscular chest. "Down, kitty. I can explain."

Chat scrambled down the loft to stand protectively in front of his Lady. "Did he hurt you, Princess?"

Marinette moved closer behind him; her soft, trembling front nearly flush to his sold, tense back and her delicate hand curling over his shoulder. Her touch eased him and kept at bay his sickness. He assumed she might have shaken her head from the slight brushing against his hair, but he refused to take his eyes off the other man. "No," she verified.

The man jumped down to stand before them and Chat nudged Marinette with his hand as he reached for his baton. The two stepped back as Chat extended it. Chat immediately began to formulate an exit plan. If they rushed downstairs, her family would be in danger. Yet, if Chat scooped her up and jumped from the window behind them, there was still the chance the man would stay and hurt Sabine and Tom instead of hunting them down. If he did follow them, there was no way he could focus on fighting if Marinette was around. That thought caused him to pause. Hadn't he always fought with her near? He'd seen her jump into a t-rex's mouth! She wasn't just sweet, kind, and _small_ Marinette anymore. She was brave, confident, and _fierce_ Ladybug. And yet, her hand trembled on his shoulder.

She was scared.

Adrien's lips curled back in a snarl; the sound ripping from his throat and chest. The man merely blinked at him as if Chat was a tiny kitten learning his way. His tail lifted backwards and wrapped protectively around Marinette's waist. His knuckles cracked as he flexed his fingers and flashed his dangerous claws. Everything about Chat's stance screamed that Marinette was _his._ Adrien allowed his feline persona to completely capture him; it felt it well and burn inside him like an akuma.

The man tilted to the side to glance at Marinette behind him. Chat moved to block him. "Princess, call him off. You know I won't hurt you." The older cat's voice was soft and alluring like a siren.

"No," Chat barked. "You're not getting near her. She's _mine_!" The declaration startled Adrien enough to ease his muscles. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. But now that he knew his Lady was right there, he was not letting her slip away. And he certainly wasn't letting some other stray pluck her away from him. She was _his Lady. His princess._

Imposter Chat's eyes flashed before darkening. "Yes, I suppose you're right," he muttered. Pain cracked across his face and it flabbergasted Adrien. The man shook his head seemingly to clear the thoughts that wounded him.

"What do you want?" Marinette's tinkling voice called from behind him. Chat's right cat ear twitched backward towards her. She was not demanding or frightened. She was curious. Her hand slipped from his shoulder and his tail tightened around her.

"That's a tough question, Princess," he grumbled while slinking down to his haunches on the floor. He flicked his head back and forth to crack a few joints. "I'm actually not sure I can answer that right now. Timey-wimey and all that." He grinned. "I'll cut to the chase. I'm Chat Noir and I'm from the future." Older Chat waggled his brows beneath his mask. " _Come with me if you want to live_." He deepened his voice in a terrible impression of a particular Austrian-American actor.

"Yep. That's definitely you, Chat," Marinette deadpanned behind Adrien.

Adrien stuttered. "What, no!" He shook his head in denial; his hair flopping. "He's gotta be an akuma!"

Older Chat tapped his forehead. "Try me. Ask me anything."

Marinette scoffed. "I totally saw you reading my diary when I came in. That's cheating."

Adrien watched as Older Chat flashed Marinette the smirk Adrien used in his sexier modeling jobs as he ran a clawed hand down his chest. "It's still nice to know you think my butt was cute in this suit." He winked at Adrien and the younger boy's jaw dropped open. "After five years of marriage, it's still nice to hear your wife say you're sexy."

Adrien and Marinette stuttered together. "Marriage?"

Older Chat snickered with a Cheshire grin. "Yep. You finally got over your crush on Adrien Agreste."

Adrien's tail slipped from Marinette's waist in shock. Marinette screeched in anger and frustration. "Give me your baton, Chat, I'm killing him."

The doppelgänger rolled his eyes. "I doubt that, Mari." He lithely uncurled himself and stood. "Seriously, I'm not going to hurt you," his eyes met his younger self. "If I was, I would have done it last night when I first got here."

Adrien stiffened as his earlier thoughts had been confirmed. "You were after Marinette."

He shrugged. "More or less," he nodded his head towards Marinette's loft. "But right now, I need to talk to you. Alone."

The hero pursed his lips. It was true that if he wanted to hurt Marinette, he would have done it last night. Adrien would have been completely oblivious that anything was wrong until this morning. He could have done anything to her and Adrien would never have known. Yet, who was to say it wasn't a trap? Older Chat could have just been luring him away from Marinette to fight. While it would give Marinette enough time to transform, Chat doubted he could hold off someone with identical (or even stronger) powers that was at least double his size. He had obviously needed Ladybug's help to fight Theo and they had been evenly matched.

In typical Ladybug fashion, Marinette decided for him. "Chat, just see what he wants," she mumbled. "If he did want to hurt us, he would have done it already."

The boy locked his jaw before nodding slowly. His double grinned before leaping onto Marinette's loft and up her trapdoor. The second the door clicked behind him, Adrien whirled to face Marinette. Desperately, he gripped her upper warms. "Marinette, listen to me," Chat's voice was steely in his seriousness. "If you even think you hear something wrong, get out of here. Don't come up there." In a fight against him, Chat knew he needed Ladybug, but Marinette was Ladybug and she was so small and sweet. Marinette was delicate and fragile. Marinette tripped over air. Chat drew in a shuddering breath. "Promise me."

The girl cocked her head and blinked at him. "I'll be fine, Chat." She smiled sweetly and nodded towards the hatch. "Just watch yourself, okay?"

Marinette cared for everyone. Marinette was gentle.

His thumbs stroked her arms. He wished his gloves and her jacket weren't in the way. He wanted to feel how soft her skin was. He had never felt his Lady's skin before. Not really, anyway. Just brushes against cheeks when they were tossed together during fights. He assumed she was soft like velvet.

Swallowing, he pulled himself away from her. "Cat's honor," he muttered before hoping after his doppelgänger.

The man stood against the wall of Marinette's balcony. He found the corner with the most shadows and wedged himself there. His arms were folded as he leaned heavily against the wall and gazed down at his combat boots. Chat hovered near the trap door as a last line of defense to protect his princess. Logically, he should move. It was barely sunset and it would be strange if people saw Chat Noir hanging around Marinette's place this late. She would not be pleased if photos ended up on the Ladyblog. Yet, Chat stood resolved and waited for the man to start because he wasn't sure what to say. He had made his case clear in Marinette's bedroom. But he still didn't trust the man.

Especially when he said his name.

His _real_ name.

"Adrien," the man started. He finally glanced up at the boy with aged eyes. "You don't trust me and that's fine. But right now, Mari needs us to work together. My Mari is in danger." Adrien's insides squirmed at the thought of Marinette being in danger. (Marinette nearly falling from the Tower. Marinette running from the Gamer. Marinette fighting akuma.)

"How do you know my name?" Adrien whispered. Time travel wasn't possible. Besides, he'd seen _Doctor Who._ Even if Adrien helped him with whatever mission, there was no guarantee the future would be changed. And Sailor Pluto said time travel was a taboo. _How was it even possible?_

Adult Adrien held up his hand in a stop fashion. "I've learned a trick or two, kitten. Ask Plagg." He dropped his hand back to where his arms were folded across his chest and nodded towards Adrien's Miraculous. Adrien frowned as he avoided the verbal question and seemed to answer his internal ones. Now he can read minds? "You need to get back home. The two of us have been too close together already. I must stay with Mari and Tikki tonight. I'll be with the Guardian tomorrow; however long it takes me to find the spell I need."

"I can't leave her-"

"She'll be ok, Adrien," the man interrupted. "I remember what I thought when I was in your place." He chuckled humorlessly. "It took me hours to finally put them together in my head."

"In my place?" Adrien questioned. "What do you mean by that?"

The man inhaled and exhaled heavily through his nostrils. "When I was sixteen, I stood right where you are and experienced all of this. I knew what could happen to Mari and I tried so hard to stop it. Maybe I drew it out some, I don't know." He shuffled his hand through his shaggy bangs before dropping it to the side of his neck where he rubbed nervously. "I don't know if you can change your future and I'm not sure if I should even tell you what happens," he admitted. "My older self told me and everything I did to protect her failed. On the other hand, if I don't warn you, there's a possibility that it happens sooner." His speech slurred as his nerves bled out.

Chat took a tentative step forward. His mind reeling from the only bomb that mattered. "What happens to Marinette?" His voice was soft against his numb lips. Another sigh from the older man was his answer. His anxiety began to swell up. His fear and protectiveness for the girl below raging within his chest causing an uncomfortable tightening to spread across his breast. "I can't lose her."

At those words, the time traveler's gaze locked on his own. "I know," he affirmed. The toxic eyes that mirrored his own hardened and Adrien was afraid. This man was stronger than him. He obviously had more power and could easily over take him. But, he did not. He had not once tried to harm him or Marinette.

"Hawk Moth nearly killed her."

The energy seeped from Adrien's body and the boy fell to his knees in anguish. "No…"

The man gazed on in pity. "She pulled through, but all magic comes with a price." Adrien tilted his head up to look at the older clone. Tears freely fell from his cat eyes, his mask shinning in the dying rays of the sun. He continued with a hard edge to his voice. "Her body never fully recovered, but she fought to pursue her dreams. She continues to wield Tikki, but it's too dangerous for her to fight. Not that there's any akumas or anything. Honestly, Tikki's magic is probably what's keeping her alive." His frown deepened. "But, even that has its limits. She's…Marinette's pregnant."

His throat went dry. Ladybug was barely holding on and she was…

"Is it…" Adrien trailed off. He loved her more than anything. Marinette was more important that he was. Ladybug's life was worth more than his own. Why would he…

The older Agreste nodded his confirmation. He smiled weakly. "Her name is Emma Agreste." Adrien lurched to his feet. He scrambled towards the elder who reached for his staff. With practiced ease, the man swiped at the boy's feet and knocked him back onto his rear. He grunted and glared daggers up at the man. "I don't suggest touching me, kid. You don't want to rip a hole in the universe, do you?" Adrien's silence was his answer. "I'm here to find a spell to save her. I'll be gone in two days and then you can go back to wooing her. I won't reveal our identity."

"Why didn't you protect her?" The boy demanded.

The man's frown deepened. "I ask myself that every day."

XXX

Chat Noir dropped down Marinette's skylight. The girl rushed towards him and crushed him to her chest in a relieved hug. "I heard shouting," she whispered. Chat hugged the girl closer as his throat constricted and more tears pricked at his eyes. He nuzzled the girl's hair. His older self may have failed them, but he swore he would never let Hawk Moth hurt her. They would be a family and she would be safe.

He wouldn't lose her like his mother.

He pressed a kiss to her hair and the girl stiffened. He pulled away and tilted her chin back with his fingertips. "I have to go now, Princess. But, I'll be back in the morning." He had to tell her tomorrow. They would find some way to stop the future. She was far too precious to risk.

"No, Chat," she whispered. "Meet me at the Eiffel Tower at ten o'clock. You can wear a disguise, but please, we have to talk about this." She gripped his hands closer to her chin with a desperate plea in her voice and eyes. Marinette nibbled her lip in nervousness before continuing. "I mean, not that you have to, because it's risky and you probably don't want to hang out with some random girl-"

Adrien chuckled. It was so enduring to hear her ramble when he was Chat. She'd never done it before but now that they knew one day they would be married, she obviously found herself nervous. He tapped his index claw against her lips. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be, Princess." His Princess; His Lady.

But, it was too soon to drop that bombshell on her. He would ease it on her tomorrow on their…date? He laughed joyfully. Marinette glanced up at him in confusion with her brow cocked. He shook his head and gently pulled his hands away from hers. "I'll tell you the joke tomorrow." Ladybug always said she'd never date Chat Noir. And here they were.

That determined look crossed her face. "It's not what you think, Chat Noir! This isn't a date or anything! We just have to talk about…this!" She wildly flapped her arms to gesture to the two of them.

A deeper chuckle rang out from behind them and Adrien frowned. He turned and sure enough his older self was sprawled seductively on Marinette's bed. "Don't worry, Mari. He just thinks you're a really great friend."

The choice of words was lost on Adrien and he shook his head before turning back to Marinette. "If he does anything creepy, call me." He strode over to her desk and grabbed a sheet of paper with math scribbles obviously left over from homework. He scrawled out his number and briskly shoved the paper in her hands. "That's my number."

The girl blinked at it with her mouth hanging open. "Is this…ok?"

The man leapt from her bed and ripped the paper from her hands. "Gonna be a hard no." He unzipped a pocket and slid the folded sheet inside. "That reveal needs to come on your little date tomorrow. Now, shoo." He flicked his hands at Adrien. "Run along now, kitten. You've had your time with her."

Reluctantly, Adrien made his exit after a few longing looks back at Marinette. Once they were alone, the man stretched. "Alone at last," he chirped. His chipper tone belied his nervousness. He had no memory of how this night occurred because he was now living it for the first time. He prowled towards her chaise and plopped down. Marinette stood awkwardly in the middle of her room watching him curiously.

"Alright, Bug. You can let Tikki out. Obviously, since we're married I know who you are. But, I'm not going to reveal myself tonight." He nodded towards the sky light. "I'll let him do that tomorrow."

The creation goddess zipped from Marinette's purse as she eased it off her shoulder. Tikki hovered before him to glare at Chat. "How irresponsible, Chat Noir! How could you and Plagg do this?"

He sighed. "Tikki, give me a break. I know the risks, but the probable outcome is worth it and I'll pay whatever price I have to." He waved his hand dismissively.

Her glare hardened. "What did you do? Where's Marinette? Is she ok?"

Chat glanced around the little goddess to peak at the girl for a moment before he returned Tikki's glare. "You don't know how badly I want to detransform so you and Plagg can talk this out, but I'm not revealing myself. I'm not taking that moment away from them. And I'm not giving away what's going on in the future because I know you two and you'll try so hard to stop it. I can't let that happen." He frowned deeply at Tikki. "You're not the only one who loves her."

The girl's breathing shuddered. "You mean…"

He nodded as he glanced around Tikki to observe Marinette. He wasn't actually sure which part she was focusing on, but it was true either way. "Yeah. And believe me, Princess, it's taking every ounce of willpower to not take this mask off and hug you." He scrubbed his neck with a paw. "Or kiss you."

Marinette slowly approached him. "You don't…have to take off the mask, kitty." Her face was painted a pretty pink and his breathing stopped. He forgot just how adorable she was back then. Here, now, however it worked. What mattered was that he loved her across all times and she wanted him.

He opened his arms and the tiny girl curled up beside him and rested her head upon his chest. He held the girl close as Tikki buzzed off in a huff.


	5. Day 2

**Chapter 5: Day 2**

Notes:

It was so hard to write this chapter. IRL has been so rough and writers block hit me like a wrecking ball. In other news, I finally figured out how I want to end it. And oh, boi. Y'all better buckle up. It ain't gonna be pretty.

* * *

Adrien barely got any sleep. Plagg was not pleased with him at all. The teenager had kept him awake most of the night asking question after question. Plagg knew he probably danced a thin line with what he had told him and what he should withhold. He was sixteen in human years; practically a baby by all standards. While he did care deeply for the kitten, he wasn't sure what would make his future self reveal the power of Black Hole. Unless Tikki was somehow tied Marinette's dire fate. There was also the prospect of a child born between the Ladybug and Black Cat holders. No holder had carried a child to term; especially after being nearly killed by dark magic.

Plagg could not remember any instance like the one the time traveler told them. The man had mentioned just one kitten. That in and of itself was odd. Anytime his chosen had mated, there had been multiple kittens conceived. Not that any of them ever survived.

Was that what had driven his future self to allow Adrien to play with the taboo? Had he finally had enough of watching his kittens suffer?

The cat grumbled as he burrowed deeper in his pillow to try to squeeze out a few more minutes of sleep before his chosen began his babbling again. Plagg knew Adrien would soon start on about the upcoming reveal. The boy had been frantic for hours about how he had not made the connection before now. There had been a moment of Adrien being angry again that Plagg had not let the cat out, so to speak, sooner. Grudgingly, Plagg explained that he and Tikki could not reveal the identity of the other unless the situation was life threatening. That of course brought them to the topic of staying clear of the other Adrien. It put too much of a strain on the time stream to have two Destruction wielders in the same plane. The time with the two Ladybugs had been so brief that it had not been enough to affect the true one. But now there had been two Black Cats in the current span for over twenty-four hours. While the strain was being balanced by one being near the Creation wielder, ripples would soon begin if the other Chat did not leave soon. Black Hole could only last for three days during the full moon. Chat had forty-eight hours to return to his time or he would be stuck for a month.

The space-time would collapse if that happened.

Hissing, Plagg gave up on trying to sleep. His headache was returning meaning Chat had left Marinette. And, he was getting tired of thinking so much.

His hiss woke Adrien from his light slumber and the boy rolled over in the giant bed. Adrien groggily blinked at him and Plagg frowned. "Feed me and tell me I'm pretty," the cat grumbled.

Adrien snorted. "I can do only one. Better pick wisely."

XXX

Adrien arrived at the Tower fifteen minutes early. He was too nervous to stay home any longer and he prayed Marinette would show up early so that they could get the reveal over and done with. While he had wanted this for years, he had always dreamed it would be more romantic. Not "my future self is kind of forcing us to do this because you're going to die having my baby in nine years and I have to stop it." Did they have a greeting card for that?

He sat on a bench and nervously bounced his leg as he pulled his phone out and thumbed it for the time. His fingers hovered over his message icon as he felt the temptation to text her. But, she deserved to find out better than that. She deserved to not find out how he did.

He hoped she would at least recognize him. He had gone without gel that morning to allow his hair to flop and frizz like Chat's would. He wore dark wash jeans and a black hoodie. His face was covered by dark Raybands and he wore black Converse. He didn't particularly like the goth style, but he needed to look like Chat enough to draw her attention. He doubted she would walk up to his Adrien self and reveal what had happened the night before with his future self.

And he seriously wanted to know what had happened.

For once, luck was on his side. The girl in question was a few minutes early as well. He stood from the bench and offered her a wave to draw her attention. Marinette beamed at him and jogged the few meters separating them to stand before him. The girl wore a simple white tee shirt and pink jeans. Her signature purse hung at her side over her black jacket. She carried a plastic bag broadcasting her family's bakery on the side.

Adrien smiled at her as he said, "Good morning, Princess. Did you bring me a morning snack?"

Her grin grew as his words seemed to confirm that he was indeed Chat Noir. With an eye roll she holds the bag up. "I figured this is what you wanted last night before…you know…" She trails off and lowers the bag. Adrien realizes she must be concluding what he is. That their secrets are falling away. That they are tittering on dangerous territory. Heck, they've already passed that and are in the post freefall. He takes her wrist and pulls her down to the bench he had claimed earlier.

"That's not exactly why," he admits.

The girl purses her lips and nods before gently pulling her wrist away. She digs through the bag and produces a chocolate croissant. She hands it to him. "I know you like those. My friend at school likes them too," she babbles. He's suddenly afraid that she'll pull away from him. That she'll retreat into the shell she carefully holds around Adrien. Chat takes the pastry as she continues. "Other you likes them too. He ate like three of them." She tilts her head back and looks up towards the Tower, the wind playing with her bangs causing them to lift slightly.

Frowning, he takes the delivery bag from her and returns his treat. He sets it to his side on the bench for later. Marinette watches him from the corner of her eyes but doesn't turn to face him. "What else does he like?" Adrien whispered.

Her shoulders rise and fall on a sigh as she turns to face him. "We didn't really talk about that," she admits. "He explained why he needed to stay close to me. And, um, that was mostly it. We slept together and he left this morning."

Adrien rears back and nearly knocks over the bag of pastries. "You what?!" He shrieks. He wanted to curse, but refrained in front of Marinette. But, seriously? They did that? Could his other self not keep it in his pants?

Marinette's face heats as she vehemently shakes her head. "You pervert! We slept on my chaise as in literally slept. My neck and back is stiff from it! I had to stretch for twenty minutes this morning to get a kink out!" She turns up her nose and turns away with a huff. "Besides," she grumbles. "He may be you, but he's like way older than me. It would have been weird. And I wouldn't just do that randomly."

"I'm sorry," he says. Of course, she wouldn't have just done that. He'd jumped to conclusions. "I should have never assumed you would do that with him. It's just…" This time he sighs as he rakes a hand through his unruly hair. "He loves you so much and I thought maybe he said or did something and you just fell for him, y'know? He probably knows every little thing about you."

She covers her face with her hands. "We shouldn't be doing this, Chat," she breathes. "We could just leave it alone until he leaves. We could pretend that it never happened."

"You know I can't do that…" He licks his lips and whispers her nickname. He knows he's entering dangerous territory, but he can't hold it back anymore.

"Bugaboo."

Her body twitches and Adrien lurches closer, his arms around her in an embrace. His mouth is near her ear and he holds her squirming body to keep her from running away. "It's dangerous for there to be two Chat Noirs," he begins. "Plagg told me who you were, milady. And believe me," her squirms still and he glides his hand up to the back of her head to cup it tenderly. "I didn't want to do it this way."

"Please," her voice is quiet as she begs. "We don't have to…" She whimpers and he can feel the tears dripping on his hoodie.

"I love you, Marinette," he whispers. "I've loved you since the very first day." Her tiny hands clutch the black material at his back in fists and she holds him closer. "And I swear, I will love you forever. You know, in case it's not obvious." He chuckles. "He's literally ripping time apart to keep you safe. The magic he's using is very taboo." He would have grinned at his use of the word again, but now was not the time.

She nuzzles closer to his shoulder. "I'm not worth all of this. He mentioned we stopped Hawk Moth, but afterwards…if I'm dying or whatever, it's not worth it. Just pass on the earrings."

Adrien pulls back. Marinette's wet eyes met his own. He releases his hold on her to push the sunglasses onto his head. His hair got hung in a hinge and Marinette's eyes widen in disbelief, but he pushes away the distractions. "Marinette, I promise I will try to keep you safe in the future, but even if I fail, I will do whatever it takes to save you. You mean so much to me…so much…" His voice trails off as his fingers attempt to free his hair from the hinges before moving to caress her cheek. So soft.

Marinette blinks and more tears escape. "Adrien?"

The corner of his mouth lifts upwards. "I hope you really didn't get over your crush on me otherwise this is going to be super awkward." He still couldn't process that Marinette had a crush on him. In hindsight, it made sense. He could have sworn she hated him from her stutters and hiding.

The girl scrunches her eyes shut and shakes her head. "No way. I'm dreaming. I can totally buy the time travel, but this…" She opens her eyes and blinks them a few times. "Nope. Chat is actually evil and killed me last night. I'm dead."

Adrien laughs. "Is it really that hard to believe that I'm Chat Noir?" He whispers towards the end, suddenly obvious that they're in a park and not alone.

Marinette untangles herself from Adrien and he lets her go. He watches as the girl begins to pace in a small circle in front of him. "Yeah, sure. I'd thought maybe it would be possible that you were Chat. But, there's no way I'm that lucky. And you two are just so different. And Chat's flirting! Oh, gosh!" She pauses and points at him, her eyes blown wide. "You were flirting with me!" Her finger points to herself and she lets out a noise somewhere between a squeal and a gasp.

The model laughs again. "Yeah. I guess I was." He reaches for her hand and pulls Marinette back onto the bench. She lands without grace and ends up tucked next to his side. "Now that the whole secret identity thing is cleared up." He pokes her nose with his fingers and she squeaks. "We've still got to figure out some way to help, um, them, us."

Marinette shakes her head. "No. We have to let him figure this out by himself. We both know how dangerous it is for you two to be close together. And I meant what I said earlier." She rests her head on his shoulder and snuggles closer. "I'm not worth all of this. It's far too dangerous. He's risking so much."

Adrien frowns and squeezes her closer before pressing a kiss to her soft hair. "I'll sit back for now, Bugaboo. But please don't ever say that about yourself again."

She silently returns his squeeze.

XXX

The tablet lays between them on the table as Fu fingers it. He swipes through the pages with a somber expression. Adrien drums the table with his fingers and Plagg frowns up at him. "Give it a rest, kid. I had to hold up your transformation all night. I'm exhausted."

Adrien returns his frown. "I couldn't tell her last night. And you know that."

Plagg grumbles and adjusts his position. "Whatever. Can we hurry this up? We've been at this for hours. Surely you've found something by now."

Fu pauses and gives the tablet one more tap to zoom in on the picture he desired. "I've indeed found something. But you won't like it."


	6. Afternoon 2

Chapter 6: Afternoon 2

The picture Fu had zoomed in depicted an ancient Black Cat filtering magic on one half of the page while the other depicted an ancient Ladybug doing the same. The magic swirling about the Cat was like Chat's Cataclysm while Ladybug's resembled the Cure without the millions of bugs. The opposite page that Adrien had briefly seen held the strange code only Fu could understand, Plagg's fur bristled as he caught onto Fu's train of thought. "Have you gone senile, you old coot?"

Adrien frowned at his companion before cocking a brow at Fu. "How will Cataclysm save her? It's meant to destroy."

Plagg hissed and jumped onto Adrien's shoulder. "Exactly. Nothing good will come from this wackjob's suggestion. That's why I didn't even tell you about it." He swatted a paw threateningly at the Master with another hiss.

Fu's face remained expressionless. "Have you ever wondered where Cataclysm comes from? Energy and magic do not just appear. You are a scientific man, Adrien. You know the laws." He reached for his tea and took a slow sip as Adrien rolled over his words.

"Energy cannot be created or destroyed," Adrien recited. "It can only be transferred to another source." He offered his kwami a head scratch before posing his thoughts to the elder. "Cataclysm takes negative energy from another source to destroy. And the Cure, it takes positive energy from another source to create. Our powers aren't magic at all. They're basic science."

The older man shrugged as he lowered his cup. "Magic is merely an older form of science. It's either powerful or unstable depending on the wielder. I had chosen you partially because you enjoy science, but it seems you never made the connection. Truly a pity." He tapped the table beside the tablet. "Now, Marinette is meant to filter positive energy. While the negative—the destructive—energy is meant to be her companion, she can only handle small doses of it. She cannot wield it after being selected by Tikki. Dark magic is nothing more than condensed negative energy. If you had taken the attack, it would have acted as a power boost, so to speak. But Ladybug is not meant to filter the negative. Therefore, when she took the attack meant for you, it cancelled out her positivity."

Adrien's brows burrowed together. "I don't understand, Master. If she can no longer channel the positive energy, then how can she still wield Tikki?"

Fu raised a finger and ticked it side to side like a parent scolding a child. "Have you forgotten, child? The energy does not simply go away. It's merely locked away by the darkness. Her poor health is caused by the negative sway of the magic, so to speak. She is a light wielder, but the condensed attack she took set that balance off. Had it been an equal attack, nothing would have happened. The two forces would have negated the other." He smiled kindly at Adrien. "Now, since you are a filter for the negative and Marinette's energy is imbalanced, what do you suppose is the solution?"

Plagg slapped a paw on Adrien's shoulder. "Don't do it, kid. It's risky. He's not factoring in Emma. There's no way to know how it will affect her even if it works on Marinette."

Adrien folded his hands together on the table and gazed down at them. "Let's say Emma is not affected. Perhaps Mari's light is protecting our child from the dark. I could, in theory, absorb the residual magic that's corrupting her, correct?" He glanced timidly up at Fu. "I'll power up and Mari will be safe?"

The man nodded. "In theory, yes. It's been a long time since this spell was attempted. And," he tilted his head towards Adrien's shoulder where Plagg was seething. "The last attempt did not fare well. There are risks to every spell. Surely, you know the risks of using Black Hole?"

Adrien scrubbed at his neck as he looked away. "Yeah, for every year I went back. I lost a year of my life and for every day I stay, I lose another." He directed his gaze back at Fu. "It's just thirteen years and I can take them off my remaining cat lives as well."

"Lives that are meant to be saved for battle," Plagg hissed quietly. "But, seeing as neither of us want to lose the mollies, we decided it would be worth the risk." Adrien knew Plagg was also referring to Tikki. If Marinette died, Tikki would go dormant once more. There was no reason for Nino, as the new Guardian, to reassign her. The world was at peace. Well, as much peace as the world could be without his father unleashing akumas once a week. Plagg continued. "But, this spell could kill you. And we still don't know what would happen to Emma." Plagg poked Adrien's cheek roughly. "You're meant to absorb the darkness in metered doses. If you absorb all her negative energy, it could be too much for your body. Not to mention, it would take years to learn to properly channel the energy. This plan sucks. On to plan B."

Fu thumbed the tablet off. Adrien stared at his reflection on the dark screen as he began to guess at Fu's next words. A sense of finality blanketing him as Fu voiced aloud his thoughts.

"There is no plan B."

XXX

Adrien finished his pastry at last. With a sigh, he snuggled closer to Marinette. "You're the best, Marinette."

The girl giggled beside him. "Because I bring you pastries? Your dietician would hate me if he ever found out."

He snorted. "It'll be our secret, princess." He turned his head and pressed a kiss onto her silky hair. He rested against her and inhaled deeply; drinking in her scent. It was easy to pretend they were just on a date in the park, but the looming threat of their future never completely left his mind. That threat was the very reason he was being allowed this time. Had her life not be in danger, he would be stuck in his room on this sunny Saturday no doubt doing homework, binging anime, or practicing piano. He squeezed her a little tighter and prayed to whatever god would listen to him would change their future. He couldn't lose her. Even if it meant locking her up during the final battle with Hawk Moth or never being with her romantically, he would find a solution.

He refused to believe that their destiny was set in stone.

XXX

With Plagg tucked away in his pocket, Adrien trudged down the sidewalk. His ear piece was snuggly secured in his ear to allow him to speak freely to Plagg. "If Gabriel's attack would never have hurt me, could I not just tell my younger self to take the hit? To watch her? Something?"

If he could change that one detail, maybe he would return home to a healthy and happy Marinette. His Emma would be safe, too. No risk on any of their parts.

Plagg squirmed in his breast pocket. "Say you tell him. Who's to say he could even stop her? You know Marinette better than anyone. Unless you chained her to a post, she would still take that hit for you. That's why you should have waited until after the battle to reveal yourself."

"It's not like I had a choice," he grumbled. "I was kinda forced to. Not that I regret spending the extra time with My Lady."

"You're still going to do it, aren't you?"

Adrien tilted his head back, his long hair shifting over his shoulders as he paused. His emerald eyes found the familiar landmark of the Tower in the distance. The Tower where he had fallen for his Lady. The Tower where he had revealed himself to his Princess. The Tower where he had proposed to his love. Tears pricked uncomfortably behind his eyes and fought them. "I can't lose her," he repeated his daily prayer and his kwami sighed.

"Alright, kid. We'll leave tonight and I'll help you learn the spell as soon as we get home." Plagg said around a sigh.

Adrien nodded his understanding and smiled softly. "Thanks, Plagg."

He resumed his pace towards the park and he could faintly see the forms of his younger self and Marinette in the distance. His pace increased as he found himself desperate to be close to Marinette. While she wasn't necessarily his Mari, she could still offer the comfort he craved. With a quick glance at his surroundings, he popped behind a tree and called upon his transformation.

Chat Noir darted out. His sudden appearance noticed by the nearby children and fans that called out his name. A few parents pulled their children closer at seeing that he wasn't exactly the Chat Noir they had grown used to. The commotion had caused Marinette and Adrien to stand from their bench and stare. Chat smirked as he drew closer and could see Adrien's outraged expression.

"Hello, my Princess," Chat purred as he stopped before them. He reached for the girl's hand and bowed over it to press a kiss to her tender skin. The girl squeaked in surprise as Adrien practically growled at her side. The cat smirked at the kitten as he pulled the girl to his side. "Sorry, but it appears I need to borrow your date, pretty boy."

He reached for his baton and elongated it. Adrien fumed in silence as he watched Chat leap away with Marinette in his arms.


	7. Final Night

Chapter 7: Final Night

Notes:

Sorry for my unannounced hiatus. Several things came up irl along with the madness of the holidays. But, this is finally here. Just one more chapter after this and I've already started drafting it. I have a few ideas for my next project but I'm not sure what I'll work on next. I want to do some S2 stuff, but I also want to do a Princess/Knight AU for MariChat or maybe a PPZ AU. But really, after Glaciator, what's even the point in doing fanfic anymore?

* * *

"Chat Noir," Marinette scolded. The small girl was clinging to him as he leapt from building to building. "You shouldn't have done that! It's not safe for you two to be so close!"

Chat grinned down at her. "What? Don't want your boyfriend to get jealous?" He glanced down at her and his grin grew at the dark red that spread across her face, highlighting the freckled galaxy across her nose and cheeks. He had counted every single freckle on her face and his quick glances now where enough to realize that her round, childish face had far few freckles than her adult self did. Truthfully, he had been a dumb kid and he wondered what else he had missed about her in their youth. His hold on her tightened as a grim look crossed his face.

Marinette blinked up at him and he quickly averted his gaze to the path he traveled. After all, everything he worked for would be worthless if he dropped her and she fell to her death like Gwen Stacy. Because with his luck, he would totally pull a Peter Parker.

"Kitty?" The bug girl whispered.

With a heavy sigh, the cat man stopped his momentum and landed on the apartment building roof below. He deposited the girl onto her feet near the entrance to the building they stood upon and paced away from her, his heavy boots crunching in the gravel. "I'm leaving," he blurted towards the panoramic view of their city. Her delicate steps towards him were thunderous in his magically enhanced hearing.

"Tikki said you still had time," Marinette murmured dejectedly. "Did you find your answer?"

Chat puffed out a breath and scratched at his neck nervously. "I'm not sure," he admitted after a moment or two. "The simplest way would be to just tell you kids to not be idiots, but that won't work." He had tried so damn hard to protect her and had failed. And if he told this Mari to not take the attack for him, there's the possibility he could go home to an altered time line. Or, he could go home to the same mess he left while Marinette and his past self created their own altered time line. Or it could fix everything with no paradox. Or she could still somehow get hit with Gabriel's attack because she was always meant to. "This whole mess is just complicated," he admitted.

Marinette moved closer to wrap her arms around his midsection. She nuzzled her cheek to his mid back. It had taken her some time, but his Mari eventually gotten to the point she would be this tender with him as Adrien. She had always been more willing to be physically closer to Chat than Adrien. It had bothered him at first, but once he realized she was probably more use to the physical intimacy with Chat than Adrien, he eased back a little. After all, the two were more comfortable around the other's masked self than the person behind it for far longer than Adrien and Marinette had been close.

"I promise, Kitty, everything will be okay."

 _Chat trembled as he reached for Ladybug's battered and broken form. "No, no, God please, Baby?" His claws tenderly brushed her soiled bangs from her face. "Bug, please," his voiced cracked. "Marinette, you promised everything would be okay…"_

The man spun on his heel and returned the girl's embrace as the memory attacked his mind. He nuzzled her soft hair affectionately. "I wish it was, Bugaboo." There was no way his half-baked plan would work. He was the wielder of destruction and bad luck. There was no possible way for him to save both of his girls. Even if his crazy scheme worked, Marinette had been harboring unequal amounts of energy for so long that it was possible that the damage was irreversible.

It was time for him to grow up.

He moved back from her just enough to lean down to brush her forehead with his own. Marinette blinked up at him with damp eyes. His claws moved to caress her tender jawline. "I love you so much," he murmured. His eyes dropped to her lips and he wanted to kiss her. Would it be wrong to kiss her?

"Kitty?" She whispered.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he pressed a kiss to her nose. Her breathing hiccupped and chewed his bottom lip to keep himself from kissing her. He stepped away from the girl and offered her a two-finger salute before calling upon the unmentionable power he wielded.

 _"Dark Hole!"_ He cried and a static black energy encased his hand. Marinette took a shaky step forward while Tikki appeared on her shoulder. In the dusky twilight, Chat could make out the shimmering streaks of fresh tears across her face. Keeping his destructive hand at bay, he made half a step closer to her. "This isn't goodbye, Marinette. Your Adrien is still at the park. It was wrong of me to steal you away from him. I just," he sighed pitifully. "I don't know, My Lady. I just didn't want to be alone anymore. I thought maybe I could tell you the truth, but it probably won't fix anything. I was selfish and I'm sorry." He offered her a crooked grin. "I tend to get that way about you."

"Chat-"

The man made a swiping motion at the air and crackling vortex of static ripped across the roof. Marinette shrieked as the force of the surging power blasted her backwards onto her rear. Tikki screeched and clutched Marinette's sleeve tightly in her small paws. Chat offered them an apologetic smile, his wild hair whipping loose from his bun in the gust and slapping against his broad shoulders. A few meters before Chat, an oval mass of energy like the _Cataclysm_ he possessed formed that was just large enough for a grown adult to pass through. The wind picked up speed as it swirled and pulled towards the center of the oval. Marinette dug her fingers into the gravel below her to uselessly keep herself from moving closer. The force of the energy pulled her body a foot or two closer.

Chat moved closer to the vortex, his bangs partially covering his face and further hiding his expression from her view as he called out her name. Marinette blinked up at him as he continued.

"Please forgive me, Bugaboo."

"Chat, wait-" Marinette reached out her hand towards the man and surged forward another foot. With a scream, she slapped her hand down to the gravel and winced as a particularly sharp piece broke the skin.

He ignored her and proceeded towards the Dark Hole. Without a word or glance, he was swallowed up by the energy and disappeared.

The whirlwind disappeared.

Everything came to a sudden stop and Marinette blinked her eyes rapidly. The howling wind was gone as was the magic. There was no sign that Chat or his magic had ever been there at all. Tears stung in her eyes as she lurched to her feet. Tikki loosened her grip on her charged and offered a soft pat upon her cheek. Traffic from the street below filtered up to her with the sounds and smells of Paris.

She shakily stepped towards were the energy mass had been and waved her arms as if searching for something, some key that it had been there or some way to pull Chat back. "No," she warbled at the stillness of the air. "Come back, you stupid cat!" She hissed.

Marinette fell to her knees like a cut puppet. Tikki floated away from her shoulder at the sudden jarring movement. "Marinette, are you okay?"

The girl shook her head. With watery eyes, she glanced at Tikki. "He had another day, Tikki! How could he…He must be rushing into it! If he had just told me! I could have helped! I could have done something!"

Tikki nuzzled her charge. "Calm down, Marinette. The future's not set in stone. I'm sure we can fix whatever this is."

"We can't."

The two females turned to see their Chat Noir sitting on the brick above the entry way to the apartments. A deep frown cut across his face and it shocked Marinette to her core. She very rarely saw her Chat visibly distraught outside a serious battle. The girl tremblingly stood as Chat gracefully leapt from his perch. "How long have you-"

"Not long," her new boyfriend cut her off. Her brows furrowed as the thought. It would take time adjusting to her crush and partner being the same. Everything had happened so fast she could not actually remember if they had even labeled whatever they were. He had had a whole extra day to adjust to her identity. She chewed her lip at the thought. "I came after you when he took you," he continued as he sauntered towards her. He moved slowly as if he was afraid she would run from him. His tail flicked nervously behind him. "I was a couple block over when I heard you scream."

Marinette's eyes dulled. He had tried to follow them. Why? Why were both Chadriens willing to tear apart the universe for her? For Ladybug? It was difficult to wrap her mind around the fact the boy she had loved for so long returned her feelings. Would they have continued to be in the dark longer if not for Adrien's actions? When would they have revealed themselves if not for his future self? Would she be on her balcony drawing right now? Would Adrien be in his room or running about as Chat?

More tears clouded her eyes. She wasn't ready for this, but she couldn't find it in her heart to be mad at Plagg or either Chat. She had always feared not being enough for Adrien and Chat, but she thought she could handle being enough for one of them. But both? A shaky sob ripped from her throat as her vision swam.

His arms were around her in an instant.

Her kitten held her together as she crumbled apart. She clutched him tight as she wailed.


	8. Out of Time

Summary:

The final chapter is here. Against many requests, this is not ending happy. This will end with angst. This chapter contains: Miscarriage and Mild Language.

Notes:

The final chapter is here. Against many requests, this is not ending happy. This will end with angst and while it's not exactly how I imagined it scene for scene, this is how I always intended to end this. Thank you for your support. I have a few fluffy prompts to work on after this.

 **NINE YEARS LATER/ADULT CHAT'S TIME LINE**

When Chat arrived back at their apartment, he wasn't surprised to find Marinette gone. He had, after all, left her for nearly three days. He released his transformation as Plagg scurried to the pantry for his rancid cheese. Adrien pulled his phone from his back pocket and thumbed it back to life. He was greeted with his home screen of Marinette and him on their wedding day. He offered the professional picture a smile before he cleared days' worth of missed notifications and called his wife. He frowned when it went immediately to voicemail. He tried Alya figuring the two were together.

His call was answered on the second ring. "Where the hell have you been, Agreste?"

Adrien's scowl deepened. "Is Marinette with you?"

He heard movement on the other end and the soft voice of Marinette in the background. "Yes. And she wants to talk to you." His heart pounded in his chest as there was more shuffling as Alya supposedly handed Marinette the phone while the former grumbled and cursed him.

"Kitty?" Marinette breathed.

His knees buckled and Adrien heavily sat on their bed. "Bugaboo, I'm so sorry-"

"Something's wrong with Emma."

His throat constricted and the phone quivered in his shaking hand. Was he too late? "Where are you," he demanded as he stood and strode towards the bedroom door. Plagg sensed his charge's urgency and appeared before him. Marinette rattled off the hospital room number and elevator locations before Adrien cut her off.

"I'm on my way."

He disconnected the call and locked eyes with Plagg. The cat god frowned before he was summoned into the Miraculous stone.

XXX

Sitting in the uncomfortable visitor's chair, Adrien hunched over Marinette's prone form; one of her hands were tightly gripped in both of his. She blinked up at him as the doctor read over the results of the latest ultrasound. Alya had left the room when Adrien had first arrived, stating she was too pissed off to even look at him. Now, as Marinette's heart monitor beeped in chorus with the doctor's pitiful voice and the whooshing warbles of the ultrasound, Adrien wished the reporter had stayed.

He needed someone to yell and hit him.

"The stress was just too much. Marinette's heart rate and blood pressure sky rocketed. Her body was trying so hard to keep up that Emma was a secondary factor."

Adrien squeezed his eyes shut in the looming pause before the doctor dropped the bomb.

"I'm sorry, M and Mme Agreste, but sometimes these things happen. I can have the nurse provide information on a local adoption agency if you two desire children as I don't advise trying naturally or otherwise again."

Marinette's strained sob wretched his eyes open. She clutched a hand to her mouth as she shook her head in denial. "I'm sorry, Adrien."

He shook his head, tears leaking from his eyes. "No, Mari…"

The doctor snapped off the ultrasound. The nurse stepped forward with tissues to clean off the gel from Marinette's swollen belly before replacing her gown. "We'll leave you two alone for a few moments. Someone will be in soon to schedule the operation." The nurse whispered to Adrien before securing the ultrasound machine and wheeling it towards the door. The doctor typed a final note on his laptop before offering his apologies once more and following the nurse.

Once the door clicked shut, Marinette filled Adrien in. When he had arrived, there had not been much time to talk before Marinette's final ultrasound was to be performed. The preliminary tests performed the day before had not been promising. Emma's vitals had not been good and Marinette's spotting had increased since her admission. They had hoped that by bringing Marinette's blood pressure down, Emma would be ok.

It hadn't worked.

"When I realized where you had gone," Marinette warbled. "I tried to stay calm. But I wanted to remember it, y'know? It was so hard, though. The more I focused, the more my memories shifted like some aspects had changed. And then I started getting anxious and well…" She trailed off, her fingers tracing over her swollen belly out of habit.

Adrien swallowed thickly. "We'll get through this, My Lady." He lowered her hand back to her side and stood. His joints cracked from his stiff posture. Wiping away her tears with his thumb, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Have you spoken to Tom and Sabine?"

Marinette nodded. "They were here yesterday. Alya forced them to go home late last night." She swallowed thickly and closed her eyes. "I can't tell them just yet…"

Adrien stroked her hair from her face, peeling a few strands away from the tears that glued them to her cheeks. "I'll take care of everything, Princess. Just rest."

She clutched his hands to her cheek. "Stay with me. Please don't leave me again."

That was the only time Adrien denied his love anything.

XXX

Gabriel Agreste was being held under maximum security. Adrien had not seen him since the final battle years ago. He was not surprised by the inspections he received before he was granted time with his father.

Adrien sat in what he assumed was an interrogation room. The room was furnished minimally with only two chairs, a table, and a naked light bulb. Behind him, was a mirror that he knew would grant security access to the Agreste men's conversation.

Plagg nipped at his chest from his pocket. "Kid, this is a stupid idea. You should be with Marinette. Not here with this psycho."

Adrien locked his jaw and refused to answer the kwami; his jade eyes locked on the door for any sign of it opening. And he was rewarded. The knob twisted and two guards escorted his father inside. Adrien fought back an eye roll at seeing his father shackled hand and foot. Though, the ghastly orange suit his father was forced to wear brought a smug happiness to Adrien.

 _Oh, how the mighty have fallen._

Once Gabriel had been seated, the guards gave Adrien a final warning that they would be in the room beside them and the men would be monitored before departing with a firm click of the door.

Gabriel blinked uninterestedly at his son. "To what do I owe the honor, Chat Noir?"

Adrien scoffed and leaned forward. His Chat persona coming out in full force. "It's Chat Blanc now, Hawk Moth. And I'm here for the spell."

And Gabriel did something Adrien had not seen since he was thirteen years old. Gabriel smiled at him with pride.

"My son…"

Adrien had finally won his father's affections.


End file.
